11 Great Stories That Have Nothing to Do With Politics

Welcome to Our Picks, a guide to the best stuff to read, watch and listen to from around the internet. Check this space for the must-read long-form article, the next great podcast for your commute, the news-making tweetstorm. And yes, we’re also tooting our own horn here. We’ll share can’t-miss Times articles from the week and reveal some gems you might have overlooked.

We want to hear from you! Send us feedback about our selections to ourpicks@nytimes.com.

Quick Reads

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CreditCliff Owen/Associated Press

• This week 291 kids participated in the greatest sporting event of the year: the Scripps National Spelling Bee. If you’re in awe of these brave young students, and maybe feeling a little insecure in your own spelling skills, you might want to check out this cheat sheet for eight common spelling mistakes that trip up competitors and how to avoid them. [Five Thirty Eight]

• The world’s smallest violin isn’t just a snide expression intended to convey indifference. It’s also a very real, very rare, fully functioning instrument. The 1/64 violin, as it’s called, can fit in a purse or, if it makes more sense, a diaper bag. And it has a unique history in the development of classical music prodigies. [Atlas Obscura]

Great Long Reads

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CreditSean Carabarin/Jenkem Magazine

• A few weeks back, video of an anonymous businessman performing skateboard tricks went viral. The writers at Jenkem Magazine, a publication about skateboard culture, decided to track down the mystery man. When they finally found him, they learned that his story was much more interesting — and nuanced — than what you could glean from a 10-second video clip. [Jenkem Magazine]

• In Hungary during the 1930s, three mathematicians discovered a puzzle that none of them could solve. They called it the “happy ending” problem, not because they finally figured it out, but because in the process of working together, two of the mathematicians fell in love and got married. Now, more than eight decades later, someone might have finally cracked the code. [Quanta]

• Some people are afraid of being stranded at sea. Others, like Henk De Velde, have nightmares about being “trapped on land forever.” Learn about the life of a man who has sailed around the globe six times. [Virginia Quarterly Review]

From The New York Times

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CreditJohn Taggart for The New York Times

• Everyone needs a bath now and then — even the American Museum of Natural History’s blue whale. Here’s a step-by-step look at the annual two-day process of vacuuming a thick layer of dust off the 21,000-pounder.

• At seven New York schools, beagles and terrier mixeshelp teach children about empathy and resilience, and offer furry comfort. Here’s why close encounters with animals soothe us.

• Slobs and neatniks alike will relate to this week’s very funny Modern Love, “Making a Marriage Magically Tidy.” (If you easily suffer from secondhand embarrassment, steel yourself for the introduction.)

• After Mr. Met’s big week, he and Dan Barry had a sit-down. It was cathartic for both of them.

• This is not an entirely politics-free read (as our headline promises), so skip if you feel so inclined:

What We’re Watching

• Aesop’s fable about the industrious ant and the carefree grasshopper gets an update in this funny animated video. Will the grasshopper’s minor in media studies be enough to get him a job hauling “crumbs and feces from above ground to below ground”? After his interview with the ant, we’re not so sure. [Topic on YouTube]

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